Monday, January 27, 2014



Back into knitting socks ... Three years now and I'm afraid I do not remember everything, though I remember the starting stitches. The pattern is a free one from Ravelry, Lace Socks by Gerdine Crawford-Strong. Actually I only used the lace pattern, not the socks design itself. I am knitting exactly a copy of what I had with my first socks project. Enjoyed using it and the pair is still in great shape. 



Sunday, January 26, 2014


An Iraqi girl stands on former marshland, drained in the 1990s because of poltically motivated water policies ~ Φοτο Essam Al-Sudani

Marsh Arabs and the very interesting stories behind ... How a heaven is turned into hell. Read the story in three sections here and learn about Mustarjil; gender in the Marshes. Interesting!

Su Bedevileri ve Mustarjil ... Şattülarap’ın Basra’ya döküldüğü sulak bölge; binlerce yıllık bir yaşam, gelenek ve Saddam'ın laneti olarak özetlenebilir ... Mustarjil, bedevilerin tanımı ile, dünyaya kadın olarak gelen, lakin bir erkeğin yüreğini taşıyan ve bir erkek gibi saygı gören, onun gibi yaşayanlara verilen ad. Bir çok ileri topluma göre, bu farklılık ile uyum içinde yaşayan Su Bedevileri ve yaşam alanları, sazlardan yaptıkları inanılmaz evler.

Friday, January 24, 2014


This shoe is designed by Joseph Gerger but is closely related to Frida Kahlo. Frida continues to inspire artists; this time a fashion designer Susanne Bisovsky. Check her webpage to see ( I and II ) some wonderful creations with a chic folkloric touch.

I must confess, my eyes were totally attracted to the background decor more than anything else. Dizzy with the richness and colors of my favorite pastime; antique needlepoint!











Wednesday, January 22, 2014


Metallic Embroidery


This is brilliant ... Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė, a Luthuanian artists, stitches on metallic objects, that are mostly out of use. She drills holes and then as we all do, stitches on them. Click on her name to see more and HERE to watch the video.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Ekşi Toz ~ Sour Flavouring

Koruk suyu paylaşımımı takiben, çıkan posayı birkaç gün gölgede kuruttum ve bugün çekirdeklerinden ayırdım ~ Following my post on unripe grape verjuice, the leftover pulp is finally dry and today, I removed the seeds.


Bir dakika bile sürmedi, blenderdan geçirdim ve aşağıda ikinci çanakta gördüğünüz toz haline geldi. Tadına baktım, koruk kadar olmasa da, nispeten hafif bir ekşilik var. Bu arada, koruk suyunun birinci kavanozu bitmek üzere. Salatalara kullanıyorum ve lezzetini anca tadan bilir. Kesinlikle tavsiye ediyorum, deneyin, pişman olmayacaksınız ~ In blender, less than a minute, my sour flavouring is ready. The taste is indeed sour but milder and surely dryer than the verjuice. By the way, have been using the verjuice in salads ever since and it is delicious. I highly recommend that you try making some for yourself. Satisfaction guaranteed.







Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Farkındalık ~ Awareness


Cogito Ergo Sum
Düşünüyorum, o halde varım ~ I think, therefore I am

Evet, düşündükçe varsın ... Düşünme yetini de, sadece kendi varlığın için kullanırsın ... Lakin, seni insan yapacak olan haslet, FARKINDALIK'dır ... Farkındalık, evrimin düşünen hayvana son hediyesidir!

Yes, you think, therefore you are ... Your ability to think is your sole tool for existence, limited to your own survival ... However, AWARENESS is a step forward to make you a better human ... Awareness is the last gift of evolution, granted to the thinking animal!

Monday, July 15, 2013


Knitting Samplers ~ Strickmuster ~ Breirol


Bunların Türkçe'de bir karşılığı olduğunu sanmıyorum, zira bildiğim kadarı ile Anadolu kültüründe böyle bir uygulama yok. Çeşitli örgü örneklerinin ince ve uzun şeritler halinde muhafazası için Avrupa'da, özellikle Almanya, Hollanda ve Avusturya'da kullanılmış bir yöntem. 1900'lu yıllar ve öncesinde bugünkü dergiler olmadığı için, genç kızların, hanımların örnek saklama yöntemi. Hepsi pamuk ile ve 1 mm ya da 2 mm şişler ile örülmüş. Daha yün olanına rastlamadım. Büyük bir olasılıkla zamana ve güveye en dayanıklı doğal malzeme pamuk olduğu için. Genelde beyaz, bej renkler kullanılmış (ya da beyazlar zamanla sararmış). Elimdeki elli küsur parçanın (birkaç tane tığ ile işlenmiş örnek de dahil) en uzunu 3.5 küsur metre. Bir-iki istisna hariç, enleri ise 6 ila 10 cm arasında değişiyor ~ This is what I was able to collect over the years Now, the question is, as these samplers are very specific to Europe and people here in Turkey think they are edgings of some sort :) I am wondering what to do with them in near future, before I eventually and inevitably dissappear. I need to find a good home for these babies. The longest in my collection is a little over 3.5 meters. Their width vary between 6 to 10 cm except for a few wider versions. Majority are knitting samplers but do have crochet samplers too. Ages vary between 19th and early 20th.






Sunday, July 14, 2013


Koruk Suyu ~ Verjus ~ Husroum ~ Verjuice


Koruk suyu, olgunlaşmamış genç üzümleri ezip, suyunu sıkarak yapılıyor. Basit bir yöntem ama biraz uğraştırıcı, zira alet kullanmadan, temiz bir tülbentin içinde el ile sıkmayı tercih ettim ~ I used unripe young grapes to make the verjuice. Very easy but a bit time consuming in my case, cause I used my hands to press, placing them in a clean muslin cloth.

Çeşitli kullanımları var, ben salatalarda limon ya da sirke yerine alternatif olarak hatırladım. Sıcak havalarda vücudu toksinlerden arındırmak, kabızlığı önlemek, iştah açma gibi faydalarının olduğu söyleniyor ~ Various uses in world cuisine but I shall be using it in salads as an alternative to lemon juice and vinegar. It is said that unripe grape verjuice is ideal for detox in warm weathers, avoids constipation and is an appetizer.




Koruk suyunu kavanozlara koyup, üzerlerine dayanmaları için ince bir tabaka zeytinyağı ekledim. Buzdolabında altı ay dayanır diyorlar. Posasını da atmıyorum, kurutmayı deneyeceğim. Bir yerde duymuştum, kuruyan posayı ufalayıp, aynı şekilde salatalara ya da yemeklere ekşi bir tat veriyormuş ~ Below is how my verjuice looks like. Have added a thin layer of olive oil as a preservative that will avoid air exposure. I understand they will last about six months in the fridge. I am also trying to dry the pulp; remember someone telling they do a great job again flavouring food and salads when crumbled in.







Thursday, June 06, 2013



Occupy Taksim


Among many, including brutal scenes by the police, this is my favorate ... Lady in black resisting the police using disproportionate force; probably being convinced to move aside by a friend ~ Φοτο by Sinem Babul ~ Gezi Parkı eylemlerinin; polisin orantısız gücüne karşı kollarını açarak direnen siyah elbiseli kadını.




Wednesday, June 05, 2013





Greetings EVERYBODY!

You may all be aware of the recent revolt in Turkey which has become a loud cry globally. I have been actively using my profile at facebook since a while and shared pictures, opinions, news etc. Unfortunately, my favorate hobby remained collateral, limited with small projects at leisure.

Just a short note to inform you that, I shall be using this blog to store/compose - hopefully in tolerable sizes - my remarks on whatever attracts my attention as they arrive. I am desperately lost and losing time trying to find what I have previously quoted in FB.

Initial texts will be in Turkish but an English translation will follow. Small gifts will keep coming too, however, my pre-occupation is the future ... And a fair future for "life for all" ... Bear with me :)

Monday, March 25, 2013




Hey everybody! Something to keep you busy if you're looking for a simple pattern. Click the picture for the chart ~ Enjoy :)

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Blackwork Freebie

  
Negrita


Hello everybody ... Just a short stop to share a new freebie with you guys. Hope you enjoy!

Saturday, August 06, 2011

     
Not yet finished but had the courage to take some pictures with the terrible heat here where you rather not see anything that is reminiscent of warmth ... In this case, the wool yarn and a WIP! Turned out better to my expectations and surely and as always, looking forward to autumn :)





     

Sunday, May 22, 2011

                 

This darning sampler of 1895 has been waiting for my attention to take its niche in my blog. It is a small one, the size is 24.5 cm x 26 cm.

Today, I also want to introduce you to two special ladies that I had the joy to meet online some years ago. I am sure you already know and admire them but I still want to make sure every visitor gets to learn of the beauties they offer!


&

I am sure these two specially talented ladies will keep you busy for a long while :)
            

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

        
 

A beautiful new addition to my needlepoint family ... Late 19th Century Berlin Woolwork with beads stitched on very fine silk gauze.



 

Origin : UK